Unconditional Love
by YukinaTakanashi
Summary: With bitter resentment she held onto for years, Hiiragi Konoka is known to be a tyrannical woman with an evil nature. However, what no one knows is that the stone heart she has is one that once loved too much... (This is a one-shot side story for my fanfics: Sparked and Shattered Reflection. This is also a fanfic request from joanjoanleonar.)


**A/N: Hello fellow fanfic readers and writers! I arrived in Japan about a week ago and am still settling into my dorm. It was a slightly scary experience travelling by myself for the first time. I've only made one close friend here in my dorm and it gets lonely at times. However, to distract myself, I'm turning back to the thing I love to do most: writing! **

**So now, I'd like to present to you a new side-story for my other fanfics "Sparked" and "Shattered Reflection". This fanfic is a request from joanjoanleonar and is mostly focused on Hiiragi Konoka, one of my OCs.**

* * *

**Unconditional Love**

On a beautiful spring day, when the blue sky was bare of clouds, a little girl stiffly sat between her father and brother. The portrait of a purple-haired woman had been placed in front of them, surrounded by colourful flowers. With her fists clenched tightly in her lap, the little girl kept her steady eyes fixed on the framed photo, never looking away.

She was such a small thing that nobody would've expected to see such an emotionless look on her face. As a child who just lost her mother, Etou Kanami should've had tear-stained cheeks and red puffy eyes. However, to tell the truth, a tight numbness in her chest had hardened her young heart, rendering her unable to show grief. Whatever innocence she had was replaced with the drastic realization that harsh reality took away her mother's life. Nothing was fair in life. And she learned that in the worst possible way.

"Kanami, it'll be alright. We have each other," she heard her father say.

Biting her lip, the six-year-old girl nodded her head, before tearing her eyes away from her mother's portrait. The picture of Etou Minato looked so unlike the frail dying woman, whose hand Kanami tightly held in the hospital. Her senses deadened, Kanami turned around to look at the many people who came for the funeral service. Everywhere she looked were figures dressed in black formal attire, some wiping their eyes with handkerchiefs. Only one person caught her attention.

Standing in the shadow of the doorway was a black hooded figure, as though the individual didn't wish to be noticed. Despite most of the person's face being covered, Kanami assumed the mysterious soul to be a woman, judging by the purple lipstick she wore and the long green hair peeping out from her hood. Wondering if perhaps the anonymous woman was a guest who arrived late, Kanami jumped from her chair.

"Kanami, get back here!" she heard her brother hiss, as quietly as possible.

However, the young girl ignored him along with the stares of the people she passed. The green-haired woman must've realized her presence had been noticed because she immediately dashed away. Running as fast as her short legs could take her, Kanami followed the woman outside of the funeral home.

"Wait!" Kanami called.

Reaching out her small hand, the little girl managed to nab a corner of the woman's dark cloak in her fist. Curiosity refused to let her release the black fabric, even when the woman violently tried to yank it back.

"Let go, you little brat," the woman snarled.

"I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. I didn't mean to," Kanami solemnly apologized. "Did you want to come inside?"

A snarky scoff left the woman's mouth. "I'm anything but afraid, especially of a little kid like you. And the answer is no. I don't want to go inside."

However, Kanami being an impulsive child full of curiosities, was not the least bit snubbed by the woman's apparent sourness. "What is your name? I'm Kanami."

A tense silence followed before the woman asked, "If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"

"If it'll make you feel better," Kanami replied. "I just want to know more about you."

In all honesty, her young mind wondered if perhaps this mysterious woman knew her mother. And if so, what kind of relationship did they have? Had they been friends? If so, Kanami never imagined her mother to be acquainted with such strange people. Of course, the little girl was smart enough to know that all relationships were different. Perhaps this queer lady had preferred to observe her mother's well-being at a distance.

"Konoka. My name is Konoka."

"That's a pretty name," Kanami said, politely. "Did you know my mother?"

The silence that followed told Kanami that Konoka was uncomfortable with the question. Afraid that she had offended the woman, Kanami tried to think up a different question to brush the topic aside. Then, her eyes fell on the long handle poking out from Konoka's cloak—the handle of an okatana.

Her brown eyes now sparkling with interest, Kanami asked, "Were you once a Toji?"

Konoka, who was getting more impatient by the second, sighed before answering, "Yes, I was."

"Mother taught me everything she knew about swordsmanship," Kanami said. "She was a tough teacher, but she made it enjoyable too. Do you like sparring?"

"Yes, I do. Well, I did."

"Why not now?"

The scowl that had been on Konoka's face was replaced by a reflective and sorrowful look, as memories of the past began to torment her. "There was a young girl I used to go to school with. She'd always drag me to spar with her every day and we got close."

"Did you love her?" Kanami asked.

Konoka had almost forgotten about her initial dislike of the girl holding her cloak. She was stuck in a world of painful recollections. Almost without thought, the woman stroked the silver chain of the pocket-watch around her neck.

"Yes...I loved her."

"Where is she now?" Kanami asked, much mystified.

"Heaven," was the answer. "At least, claimed by what other people say."

Kanami had a thoughtful expression as her fingers played with the black fabric she held. "Someday I wish to find someone who'll love me like that too."

Konoka returned to being a stiff woman again. "I'm sure you will."

There was an awkward silence as the two stood still in the bright sunshine.

"You never said you and my mother were friends. But even so, I'm sure you must care for my mother because you came to see her, didn't you?" Kanami asked.

Konoka said nothing.

"Was...was my mother the girl you loved?"

The spell was broken. With a growl, Konoka forcefully yanked back her cloak from Kanami's grasp.

"None of your business, kid. Now leave me alone. I'm done answering your little nosy questions."

And just as evasively as she appeared, Konoka vanished without a trace. Leaving Kanami to stand rooted to the spot in complete bewilderment and confusion.

* * *

**Eight Years Later...**

With hoarse gasps for breath, Konoka's frail hand clutched the uniform of the girl holding her. The girl she had secretly despised due to being the product of the man who married Fujiwara Minato. With misty eyes, Konoka kept her gaze on Kanami's expression as the Minoseki Toji opened the pocket-watch she'd handed to her.

"This is my mother..."

Although Konoka hadn't answered that certain question many years ago, she knew she had to answer it now. Kanami deserved to know. With a bleak expression, Konoka's gaze met the Minoseki Toji's. Into the glistening brown orbs that looked so like the eyes of the one she loved... Never letting her sight leave Kanami's, Konoka finally gave the Minoseki Toji her answer.

"I loved her..."

Remorse mixed with sorrow made the tears poking out of Konoka's eyes finally spill down her cheeks. Swallowing her now wrinkly throat, the woman thought back on all the things she'd done. How hard she tried to be good; the grief she felt when everything seemed to turn on her; and the way she abused her powers—hiding her hurt with heartlessness. She was indeed a monster. Not because she was a half-aradama, but because of how she let it consume her with hate.

Etou Kanami...a girl who didn't deserve any of the sufferings she inflicted upon her. Konoka felt her throat become tight from her tears at the thought of it. Oh, how could she have let her resentment blind her?! To think that she imprisoned, tortured, and tried to murder Etou Kanami, the daughter and only remaining reminder of Fujiwara Minato!

_'And yet, in spite of my bitterness, all I ever wanted was love,'_ Konoka thought.

Her fingers tightly clutched the letter she held in her hand. The letter that gave her all the confirmation she needed. The confirmation of whether she'd truly been indeed loved by her family and friends.

_'I had it all along. Now...I can join them in peace.'_

* * *

Konoka's footsteps echoed as she walked aimlessly through the darkness. Was she in Hell? Were her sins finally being paid for? This was her punishment...to wander forever alone. Wrapping her arms around herself, the woman hung her head before releasing the small sob in her throat.

"Konoka."

Her eyes widening, Konoka turned towards the familiar voice. The darkness gradually transformed into a grey light, surrounded by fog.

And then, she saw it. The light. A brilliant light waiting for her just a few feet away, and—and—

"Kaga-nee-chan..." Konoka breathed.

Hiiragi Kagari looked just as her younger sister remembered her. With the same shy smile and burgundy eyes, blurred with tears, Kagari stepped to the side a little. Letting Konoka see the other two individuals behind her.

"Long time no see, Noka!" Minato chirped. "Oh, and don't forget..."

Seeing Kagari and Minato made Konoka's eyes moisten, but the last person beside them made her burst into tears. Standing tall and regal was a woman with teal-blue hair and misty-grey eyes. A woman Konoka spent years weeping over. A woman taken away from her too soon. A woman she never got to say goodbye to.

"Mother..."

Tsukuyomihime's sight became blurred as well, as she held out her arms wide open. Without hesitation, Konoka ran as fast as her feet could take her, before jumping into her mother's arms.

"Mother! Mother!"

Stroking her youngest daughter's hair, the aradama princess whispered softly, "Welcome home, Konoka."

* * *

**A/N: A happy ending for Konoka, reuniting with Kagari, Minato, and Tsukuyomihime in Heaven. Because she died as an anti-hero of sorts, I thought it'd be nice for Konoka to happily join those she loved most in death.**


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